MAY-JUNE 2024

Editor's desk François-Marie Héraud

Offering Support…

 

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” (Matthew 25:35-36)

This passage is so well known. It wonderfully illustrates how the human heart is invited to be generous and compassionate. These altruistic actions do not require anything special, no particular talents, no lengthy studies, no wealth. All that is needed is to be attentive and open to others, to welcome them without judgment, to desire their well-being. This is what is asked of each of us, from the youngest of us to the oldest.

This entire Gospel passage could be summed up in one word – support. This means to care for others, to be interested and concerned by what they are experiencing, to want to spend time with them, to listening to them and to advocate for them.

Concretely, not a day goes by without us supporting others. What the most beautiful part, yet may sometimes be the most difficult, is that it happens exactly where we are – at work, at school, at the grocery store, in our family. Simple words and gestures will offer support: a gentle look, a smile, playing with the classmate left alone, holding the door, calling a lonely person, praying...

To truly support, we have to let the other person be free, be there at the person’s side, ready to offer support. However, we must not try to experience what the other person is going through, nor impose our ways of doing things, but simply and humbly be there to accompany the person in need.

The words of Saint Francis of Assisi are echoed in support as we care for Earth, our “common home” as Pope Francis affectionately refers to it.

Then, in our turn, one day or another, we will need to be supported. Accepting help will enable us to grow and enrich our own way of providing support. Suffering will give it a new appreciation, an even deeper understanding.

“The greatest  gift of life is man, his good and  sensitive heart.” (Blessed Natalia Tulasiewicz)

And the Lord, does He not care about me? Does He not want my happiness unconditionally? Did He not go so far as to give His life for me? In return, does He not need me, my hands to help Him support those who find themselves on my path?

Let us always remember that support, like a seed planted in the ground, is priceless and worth much more than we can imagine.

May our prayer be to support those whom we encounter each day!

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Paul-André Durocher - Archbishop of Gatineau

Offering Support…

Often, when faced with life’s challenges, we pray that God might take them away from us. There is nothing wrong with that. Indeed, Jesus himself prayed that way when he confronted his Passion, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me.” (Luke  22:42) And it sometimes happens that our prayer is answered and our path suddenly becomes lighter and easier: a cancer treatment succeeds, a relationship is set right again, a problem is resolved.

Unfortunately, things do not work out that way most of the time. Does God not care? Of course, God cares. However, support can come in different forms, some that might surprise us.

I worked for a moving company one summer during my high school years. Some packages that I had to deliver were truly heavy! I might have wished for them to whisk themselves to their final destinations, but that could only happen in my dreams. God would not do my work for me!

Learning how to use some tools was really important. Forklifts, trolleys, carts, back lifts on a truck, all these tools made my life easier. Developing the skills involved in balancing just the right way and using my body correctly made a huge difference. I also got stronger as the weeks went by and found that, by the end of the summer, I could easily handle packages that had been terribly heavy previously.

Similarly, God supports us by giving us the Holy Spirit, a source of strength, knowledge, wisdom and perseverance to deal with difficult problems. In this way, though the obstacle might not be removed, God offers us support. This is why the psalmist sings, “But surely, God is my helper; the Lord sustains my soul.” (Psalm 54:4)

I found another source of aid that summer in the people who worked with me, who encouraged me and lent me a hand. Whenever I was struggling with something that proved too cumbersome or burdensome, one of them would come over and give me a boost. They shared their wisdom with me, laughed when I got in a fix and helped me get out of it. It was hard work but doing it with co-workers who truly became friends made it so much easier and joyful.

Again, God offers us support in a similar way by giving us a community of brothers and sisters with whom we can bear the pains and experience the joys of the journey. We call this community “the Church” — the body of fellow disciples who share our faith and hope, with whom we learn to love. How often in my own life have other believers encouraged me, challenged me, helped me to forgive, to heal and to grow? They have constantly been a source of courage and strength in the darker days of my life.

Saint Paul often challenges his readers to take up this role and become the means through which God will offer support to others. We thus learn to become a commu-nity of mutual support. In this spirit, he writes to the disciples at Ephesus, “I beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:1–3)

Through the gifts of the Spirit and community, God offers us support in all times and places. In return, let us offer support to one another in love.

“I beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:1–3)